It’s that wonderful time of year when we are busy on all fronts. Part of our field management includes cutting the fields when they are ready and making giant fields of marshmallows like this one.

Just kidding, these big bales of hay wrapped in plastic make baleage. We wrap the bales of hay in plastic to protect them from mold and rot. The hay has to be baled when moisture levels are just right and the plastic must completely seal the bale. There can be no holes. A hole the size of a quarter can cause a large area of rotting.

An advantage of baleage is getting hay harvested early before seed heads set, when nutrient content is highest.

Baling high-moisture forage allows us to harvest earlier and avoid damaging storms when dry hay crops are typically down and it improves our yields in later cuttings. 

Livestock benefit from improved feed quality, and the baleage allows our Upstate NY, NJ and VA farms to feed grass during the colder months when our pastures are not growing, or are covered in snow.